As inbound marketers for the travel and tourism industry it’s important that we understand travelers’ needs, goals, and of course what factors influence their purchase. Having just returned from an amazing trip to Europe with my family, I looked back at how we planned our journey. Like any traveling family, this trip wasn’t planned on a whim or even by one person- no not at all. So how did we plan it?

Well, first I (mom) planned it. From booking the hotels to planning the flights. After hours of research, my itenerary was crisp, clean, and even had some openings for “free time.”

All the while, my kids were scouring the web to discover the local attractions and various places we were destined to visit. They studied the websites. They voiced their opinions. They flipped my original itenerary on its head.

But the research process didn’t end once we arrived at the hotel. In fact, the kids were still looking online and adding more destinations to the itinerary based on the array of information available at their fingertips.

For example, my teenage daughter noticed a billboard ad that showed a really cool outfit from a teen clothing store in London, called Misguided. After pulling up the store’s website, she tapped and swiped her way through the pages to discover what types of clothing they carried. Moments later, we found ourselves on a tube heading to that very same store.

My ten year old son, not too keen on shopping, then convinced dad to go to the RAF Museum after visiting the RAF website.

Kids can be a Buyer Persona for Tourism Businesses, too!

Kids have an incredibly profound impact on travel plans. And for marketers, these youngsters can make or break your brand. So it’s worth your time to craft the content on your website and on your social media channels around the needs, goals, and interests of these travelers.

But don’t just take our word for it. The video below from Marriott further validates the increasingly influential role that kids play in the travel planning process:

If you live and breathe the tourism industry like we do, then chances are you already knew kids had a major role in the purchasing decision. But now it’s time for your marketing to reflect that knowledge by creating content that resonates with the needs and interests of this particular demographic!

How can you create personalized content for kids?

Because kids have a different set of needs, goals, media preferences, and, of course, attention spans than their parents, they represent a whole new buyer persona. As a result, you need to create content that is targeted to their persona.

That 800-word blog article on your website describing the history of the region? Not gonna cut it for the youngsters.

So what’s a marketer to do?

Kids are visual, which means photo and video content is much more likely to capture their attention than that 800-word blog article. Rather than hearing about brands, kids want to “see the goods.” Make it easy for them to learn more about your business by keeping your content short and to the point.

But your content also needs to relate to these younger personas. Just as the lengthy, text-based testimonials that span your hotel’s “Guest Reviews” page builds trust with adult travelers, you need content that is personalized to younger travelers, too.

Take the time to create some kid oriented videos (they don’t have to be expensive videos, but they should be fun and something kids can relate to). What about having a kid tell the story for you? Ask kids what they like best about your store, hotel or attraction and then video tape their responses (with permission, of course!).

Again, put yourself in a kid’s shoes and think about what’s going to influence their decision to stay at your hotel or visit your attraction. You do this for your adult travelers, so why not mimic that approach for your younger buyer personas as well?

At Mannix Marketing, we know tourism, hospitality, and Buyer Personas.

Once you understand who you’re trying to reach with your message, it’s important to share that information with your marketing team so they can help you create a content marketing strategy around those buyer personas- from moms and dads to the kids in various age groups.

Do you need help reaching a bigger audience for your tourism related business? Get a free marketing assessment today by giving us a call at 1-800-928-9154 or by filling out our contact form- we’d love to talk with you!

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Sara Mannix is the CEO of Mannix Marketing, Inc., a Digital Marketing Agency headquartered in Glens Falls, NY. She founded Mannix Marketing in 1996 with a goal to get clients "found" on the web through organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The company now serves over 1500 clients worldwide and employs a team of over 30 specialists, still operating under the tagline "We Get You Found On The Web." This multifaceted company is an industry leader, specializing in organic SEO, Link Earning, SEO-friendly Website Design, Online Advertising, Social Media and more. Mannix Marketing also has one of the largest portfolios of tourism and city guides in Upstate New York. These guides, which include Albany.com, Saratoga.com, LakeGeorge.com, GlensFallsRegion.com, CliftonPark.com and Adirondack.net, reach over 10 million visitors a year. Corresponding social media profiles for the region extend this reach to millions more on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and more.

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